Ditching plow



March 8,1927.

F. E. DUNCAN DITCHING FLOW Filed June 1925 gwuentoz fiovo E. DUNCAN Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES FLOYD E. DUNCAN, OF ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA.

DITCI-IING PLOW.

Application filed June 30, 1925.

My invention relates to ditching plows, and the primary object of my invention is to provide improvements over United States Patent Number 1,538,099 for ditching plows, granted to me May 19, 1925.

The objects of my improvements are: first, to provide a ditching plow for making ditches with fiat bottoms and inclined sides of substantially uniform depth; second, to provide a ditching plow adapted to be supported on the ditch forming portion thereof at its head end and on a runner means at its rear end, the rear end of the plow being adjustable relatively to its runner means for making ditches of various depths; third, to provide a ditching plow having sides positioned angular-1y with each other and cut away at their lower rear portions forming upwardly inclined and outwardly diverging rear lower edges and a runner means positioned at the rear portion of the plow for Vertically shifting said rear portion, as desired, for varying the width of the ditches to be made; fourth, to provide a ditching plow of this class having a flat platform at the upper side and runner means secured to the upper side of the platform for transporting the plow on its normally top side; fifth, to provide as a whole anovelly constructed ditching plow, and sixth, to provide a ditching plow of this class which is very simple and economical of construction, durable, and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of. construc tion, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon. which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my ditching plow, showing certain parts and portions thereof broken away to facilitate the illustration; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof, showing by dotted lines a backwardly tilted position of the plow and the corresponding position of the means for holding the plow in said position; Fig. 3 is a rear end view thereof; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevational view of a slightly modified form of construction of the means for holding the rear Serial No. 40,556.

end of the plow in the desired position, and Fig. 5 is another fragmentary view thereof in plan.

Like characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The body of my ditching plow consists essentially of a pair of side wall members 1 and 2 secured together at an angle at their head ends and braced in such positions relatively to each other by means of a plurality of cross members or braces 3 intermediate their ends, and by means of a plurality of cross slats 4 at their upper edges forming a supporting platform for the operator of the plow. The forward portions of the lower edges of the side wall members are preferably made substantially parallel with their upper edges, while the rear portions of said lower edges incline. upwardly forming a fulcrum, indicated by F in 2, intermediate the head and rear ends of the side wall members for tilting the plow in a manner to vary the depth and width of the ditch to he made or cleaned. The side wall members 1 and 2 are provided at their head ends with a protecting or entering plate 5 preferably bent in the form of an acute angle to facilitate the entering of the plow into the ground. The side wall members are also provided at their lower edges with side wall protecting plates 6, as shown. Near the upper portion of the head or entering plate 5 is secured a draft plate 7 which is provided with a plurality of holes 7 for variously connecting the shackle 8 thereto for also varying the depth of the ditch to be made.

On the cross brace 3 near the rear end of the body of the plow, just described, is se- '1 The runners or shoes 11 are bent upwardly at their front ends and outer sides, as shown best in Figs. 2 and 3, and are secured in any suitable manner to the lower portions of the straps 12 bent preferably as shown in Fig. 3, the straps 12, pivotally connected to each of the crank portions 10, being secured together as shown in Fig. 3. Intermediate the ends of the shaft 10 is secured a handle member or lever 13 for lowering the crank portions and, therefore, the runners 11. The lever 13 is held in a downward position, as shown by solid lines in Fig. 2, by means of a chain 1t and a suitable hook means, indicated by 145. hen the chain is released from the hook means, the lever 13 is shifted upwardly. as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, which permits the head end of the plow to be raised, as indicated by dotted lines.

In 4: and 5 of the drawings I have shown a ratchet and pawl means for retaining the lever 12) in certain shifted positions. In this modification I have provided a partial ratchet, which is stationary and serves as a quadrant. This ratchet member, indicated by 17, is secured to the cross brace of the body of the plow in any suitable manner. Said member 17 is mounted over the shaft 10, and the teeth thereof are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 18 pivotally mounted on the lever 13 and retained in a position normally in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet member by means of a coil spring shown best in Fig. 5.

The runners or shoes 11 at the rear end of the plow are prevented from being shifted backwardly beyond certain limits, by means of rods 15 pivotally connected at their one ends to the front ends of the runners 11 and at their opposite ends to eye members or other pivot means secured to the intermediately positioned cross brace 3 of the body of the plow, as shown in Fig. 2.

Atthe upper sides of the cross slats 4: of the plow is secured a pair of spaced apart. runners 16, which extend longitudinally relatively to the axis of the plow, for transporting the same from place to place on its normally top side.

It is obvious from this construction. as illustrated in the drawings and disclosed in the foregoing specification, that there is provided an improved ditching plow, as aimed at and set forth in the objects of the invention, and though I have shown and described a. particular construction combination and arrangement of parts and portions and a certain modification thereof, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement nor to the modification, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a ditching plow, side wall members secured together at one end and positioned angularly with each other, said side wall members being provided with substantially horizontal lower edges extending from their head ends to a short distance backwardly therefrom and merging into upwardly inclined ditch-side-forming lower edges at their rear portions forming a fulcrum at the point of mergence of said edges, a run ner means positioned at the rear portions of and between said side wall members, a rod pivotally connecting said runner means with said side wall members, a crank means pivotally supported by said side wall members and positioned at the rear portion of and between the same and pivotally connected with said runner means, and means for retaining said crank means in various shifted positions.

2. In a ditching plow having sides positioned angularly with each other and cut away at their lower rear portions forming upwardly inclined and outwardly diverging rear lower edges, a runner means positioned at the rear portion of and between the sides of said plow, link means pivotally connecting said runner means with said plow forwardly of said runner means, and a crank means rotatably mounted at the rear por tion of said plow and pivotally connected with said runner means, said runner means supporting the rear end only of said plow and the pivotal connections of said runner means with said plow permitting bodily shifting of the former relative to the latter.

3. In a ditching plow having sides positioned angularly with each other and lower scraping edges inclined upwardly and diverged outwardly, runner means positioned at the rear portion and between the sides of said plow and shiftable bodily in a substantially vertical direction relative to the rear end of the plow and means in connection with said runner means for shifting the rear end of said plow in a vertical position, said plow being at all times supported on the ground at its forward portion and at its runner means.

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto set my hand at San Diego, California, this 17th day of June, 1925.

FLOYD E. DUNCAN. 

